Chirp(24)

Helga flapped her hand in the air. “She wishes. Let me clue you in on the widow. The day of the funeral, she fired every last one of us. Brought in her own people.”

Tom jotted Marla the bitch in his notebook and regarded his hostess. “I understand that’s the day the girl went missing.”

“It’s the day she left. If you solve the case, Marla will have a doctor drug the child to get power of attorney. Once she has that, she’ll stick her in an institution, sell the company, and become a very rich woman.”

“I thought she was already rich.”

“If you or I had a few million dollars, we’d consider ourselves rich, but not her. The way she goes through cash, that won’t last her long. Then all she’ll have is a house and a company salary that’s about to expire. Besides, greedy people never have enough.”

“If the woman is as evil as you say, why hire me? Why not a hit man to off the kid?”

Helga laughed. “Mr. Montgomery left Marla the big bucks, hoping it would be enough until she found another husband. But he put things in place in case it wasn’t. If anything happens to his daughter, the company will be sold and the proceeds divided between different charities. Marla’s only hope is to have things go the way I mentioned.”

Tom glanced at his watch, then scooted away from the counter. “Well, I appreciate the information and coffee. I know from our earlier phone conversation you have an appointment, so I’ll get out of your hair.”

Helga rose too, stepped closer, and laid her hand on his forearm. “I can tell you’re a man with a big heart, so do the right thing and forget about finding her. Wherever she is, she’s better off.”





11


Rance


Rance couldn’t decide if it was the chick snoring next to him, the approaching storm, or Blaze’s compliment that kept him awake. He chuckled. Wasn’t sure she considered it flattery. She’d praised his physique with the same emotion as thanking him for doing laundry. If any other woman had mentioned his bare chest, he would have taken it as flirtation, but not with her.

For the first time since arriving in Bluebird, he’d learned something about her. His mom’s old college yearbooks were bound to be packed away somewhere. If he found them, maybe he’d figure out Blaze’s identity and the reason she’d come here.

Lightning ripped the sky, and an angry burst of thunder shook the house. The weather report claimed a chance of hail, so he’d taken time to move the kid’s car into the shed with his Harley. It’d been a while since he’d weathered a violent storm, but he remembered it like it was yesterday. He, Seth, and Nick had spent the last month of summer with Dessie. The heavens had opened and dumped the largest hailstones he’d seen. Once the surge had ended, he’d run outside to gather specimens, and Gran had kept them in the freezer until Christmas.

Was his bed partner Melba, or Melanie? He couldn’t be sure. The music had blasted so loudly in the bar he hadn’t caught her name. Easy way around that. He’d called her lovey-dovey names. Baby. Honey. Sweetie. Chicks liked that shit. Whoever she was, she snored like a lumberjack. Probably farted like one too.

He wanted a smoke and a drink. The kid’s voice rang in his ears. Smoke too much. Drink too much. Why do you bring women home? He’d pass on the whiskey and cigarettes. She was right. He should cut down on his bad habits.

He shifted in bed as the first stone clobbered the tin roof—then another, and another, until the place sounded like it was being pelted by gunfire. All the while, baby-honey-sweetie kept right on sawing logs. Just as he turned to look outside, a shadow blocked the light show coming through the window.

He blinked, then blinked again, unsure of what he saw. Wrapped in a blanket, Blaze lay down on top of the cover next to him. He scooted over to make room, then propped his head in his hand and tried to keep his voice down, not that it’d wake the sleeping logger. “What the hell are you doing?”

She snuggled into him. “I don’t want to be in there by myself.”

A whispered yell proved to be a challenge. “Well, you can’t sleep with me. I have a woman in here.”

“You’re finished with her.”

“How do you know?”

Blaze turned to face him, and her breath floated over his neck. “Weeknights, you do it once. Weekends, multiple times. It’s Thursday.”

A shiver ran up his spine. “Get out of this bed right now before you wake her up.”

Blaze rolled off and settled on the floor. “I’ll sleep down here.”

He hung his head off the side. “No. You will not. Leave before I carry you out. And if I have to do that, you’ll see a lot more than my bare chest. Understand?”

Even in the dark, he saw her eyes widen. “Oh. You mean, you don’t have on any clothes?”

“That’s exactly what I mean. Now scram. Go to the living room. I’ll be there in a minute.”

“Okay.”

Rance eased off the mattress and pulled on his jeans and T-shirt. What the hell was she thinking? All he needed was for his guest to wake and find another female in his bed. Especially one who looked as young as Blaze. The bar-babe would label him a pervert and spread the word. He couldn’t let that happen. He’d never get laid again.

In the living room, he found the kid huddled on the sofa, chin resting on her knees, arms wrapped tight around her legs. Another crack of thunder caused her to flinch. He sat next to her. “Before I showed up, and it stormed, what did you do?”